SALLY MORRIS: PLACES - CAN YOU FIND NAURU ON A MAP?
Has the fiercely cold weather got you down? Me, too. In fact it often does have me down. So one time when I was grousing about the cold and expressing the wish for a tropical paradise to my brother (who happens to live in a tropical paradise in Florida) he said that although he was not too familiar with the Caribbean, he was aware, through his travels, of a remote little place in the Pacific. It’s called Nauru. It is its own nation with about 10,000 or so inhabitants, which makes it the second-smallest nation after Vatican City.
Today is Saturday, so it’s People, Places and Things day. Last week I sent you a link to an interesting Thing. Today it’s an interesting Place – Nauru.
If you are looking for a palm-fringed beach where you can still get by in English, you might want to check out Nauru. The island is barely south of the equator (distance varies according to your source – 25 miles to 35 miles south of the equator), is about 8 square miles (yes, eight). There is a little lake inside the country so it’s a bit like a nice doughnut, having an ocean coastline and a lakeshore to boot. If you like to bike or hike, there is a ring road which encircles the entire island and an ocean view the whole way!
There is a president – Lionel Aingimea, but no real capital. They don’t feel they need one. The government is based on a unicameral parliamentary system. Other than economic difficulties, there is not much to worry about here. They don’t even have cyclones. There is, however, a shadow over Nauru – it has been used as an immigration detention facility by Australia and there have been rumors of terrible conditions there.
The island was claimed by Britain but handed off to Germany in the 1880’s and the German administrator was uncharacteristically laid-back, accepting local custom and adopting local dress. After WWII, the little nation became politically associated with and administered by Australia. It has been self-governing since 1966. The official language is Nauruan, which is generally spoken at home and in informal situations, but English is widely used.
The Polynesians and Micronesians who first inhabited the island established an aquaculture – they caught ocean fish and raised them in their lake as a food supply. Today, thanks to nature and adoption of Western cuisine, this is the world’s most obese nation. They celebrate independence on January 31, in case you want to party with the Naruans.
Nauru is a phosphate island and this has been a source of incredible wealth in the past. Today it’s GDP is second smallest in the world (Tuvalu’s is smaller). There are no seaports because of coral reefs. There is one airstrip, however, served by Nauru Airlines and there are two hotels! So you might want to book way ahead.
Here are some links you might enjoy looking at – some beautiful photographs if tropical paradise is your thing, and some amazing facts about this tiny island, a map or two and some history as well.
For “faraway places” you can’t get much farther. Enjoy an armchair excursion on me!
Some factoids: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/oceania/articles/nauru-facts/
A map – getting around in Nauru: https://www.infoplease.com/atlas/pacific-islands/nauru-map
Another map – where to find Nauru: https://www.turkey-visit.com/nauru-map.asp
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